Four Makings Of A Hero
by KensieTheCat
Summary: How do you fight someone you don't know is your enemy? How do you protect three clans when you don't know that's your destiny? How do you save three clans when they don't want to be saved at all?
1. Chapter 1

_Hi, I've had this, and two other stories that I haven't typed yet, stuck in my head for days. _

_So I decided to post it._

_Please review, even if you don't like it! I need feedback and ideas on how I can improve. _

_And reviews make me happy and excited about the story. This makes me want to write more and better chapters._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing from the books._

**Prologue**

The moon shone bright in the sky as a medicine cat studied the stars. For the bright points would give her a glimpse of the destiny of the kits coming into the world tonight. Her ancestors had always told her the destiny of the kits born in to her clan. As they on had always told the medicine cats before her the destiny of the kits born into their time.

She heard the rustling of an anxious cat. It was the father of the kits no doubt. They were always upset on these nights. He would calm down soon and joy would fill the nursery. Joy in celebration of new life.

Her former mentor was in the nursery too. Her soothing voice was calming the mother. She was ignoring the father. As others before him, he was asking needless questions that, if you used a little logic, were easily answered.

The wind ruffled her fur. And a gray tabby tom padded to her side. He looked at the stars for a moment.

"Have you had any sign," he asked.

She stared at the sky for a few heartbeats before answering, "Not yet. Airclan will give me a sign when they feel ready, and when they feel that I am ready."

"What is there to be ready for? They're kits for Airclan's sake," he muttered resentfully under his breath.

"They may be kits now. But they, and others their age, hold the fate of tomorrow in their paws," she said without looking away from the stars.

"Then Airclan help us," he whispered. All he ever could see in kits was how annoying they were. They never stopped whining and were constantly getting into trouble.

"You need to learn the values of patience and the willingness to give cats a chance, Stonestar," the medicine cat told the gray tabby.

"Tell me when Airclan shows you the sign," he said, ignoring her words. And he rose to his paws and padded noiselessly to his den.

The restless movement stopped. And her former mentor left the nursery. She nodded to Shadowstream before heading to their den.

Shadowstream stared after her before padding to a small pool at the side of the camp. Airclan had used reflection before to give signs and warnings. She was thinking of this as she looked into the pool.

The sign would come soon. Shadowstream could tell by the new anticipation settling in her very bones. The sleeping camp seemed to be holding its breath. And the stars seemed to be dancing, their movement making it seem as if there were ripples in the pool.

There was a heartbeat of silence,and then the water turned red. Shadowstream felt horror grip her as if she were in some monsters jaws. She saw a battle scared brown tabby crouching down, preparing to ambush an unsuspecting ginger and white she-cat. The image changed to a gold tom snarling at group of fearsome cats. Even though he was outnumbered by far and was completely surrounded.

The pictures kept flashing by before her eyes, each striking terror in her heart. A silvery blue she-cat stumbling through a snowstorm, her pelt stained with blood. A tom with a bright ginger pelt wailing over the unmoving body of a petite white she-cat. And then she saw four cats standing on a hill, they looked as if they were ready for battle. And their pelts shone brightly, fiery ginger, silvery blue, gleaming gold, and white and ginger. She couldn't see their faces.

"They hold the safety of the clans in their paws. For love, bravery, loyalty, and cleverness are the four qualities that are needed for a hero," it was as if many cats were talking at once, the sound made Shadowstream's fur stand on end. "But beware. A hero also has the potential to create evil." And with that all was quiet.

The images stopped and Shadowstream stumbled back. Her heart felt like it was beating faster than a hummingbird's wing. Her sides heaved as if she had just run here all the way from the tiny mountains in the distance. It seemed to take moons for her to calm down.

The pool was no longer red as if it were made of blood. The stars no longer danced, instead they were still, cold, and distant. And the camp was no longer silent, cats shifted in their sleep, some were even mumbling indistinctly.

As Shadowstream padded to her den, one thing stood out clearly in her mind. She mustn't tell a soul about the images she saw or what the voice had told her. If she did then the whole camp would overreact. And the kits would fall under suspicion. She would lie to Stonestar and say that they had the same destiny as any other kits.

And, with her plan fresh in her mind, Shadowstream curled up in her soft nest and fell into a fitful sleep. She would be jumpy for the next few days. And then she would be too busy taking care of cats with whitecough to think about the kits.

_Tell me what you think please!_


	2. The Dreams

_Hi. This chapter kinda' sucks. I have nothing interesting to say so I'll just get on with the normal stuff. _

_Please review, they're like a magic energy that makes me write faster..._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing from the books._

**The Dreams**

Loyalkit darted down the icy path, trying not to slip. The wind blew against her, driving the snow into her eyes. Her sides were heaving with the effort to keep going. She _had_ to catch them this time. Even though she still didn't know why . . .

Her pawsteps quickened, she was so close! Only a few more paces to go. She would catch the two cats in no time. She just knew it!

But she had forgotten that she had been this close before. And she had always lost them. Just like she was losing them now. And before she could blink the two dark pelts of the shadowy warriors had disappeared into the snow.

Loyalkit stopped and let out a howl of frustration. Then the effort it had taken to get this far proved itself too much for her and she collapsed into the cold. All she could see was the endless color of the freezing cold. If she hadn't remembered that there was snow only in leaf-bare she would have thought that she had been a crumpled heap of silver in the endless sea of white for seasons.

She felt like she was losing her mind. Voices were calling her, the white surrounding her was stained red. And she felt numb. She watched as the scarlet liquid slowly spread, staining the white snow . There was a thumping throughout her that was getting weaker.

The voices grew louder. And they sounded familiar. She was just about to call back when a solid weight landed on her back, knocking the wind of her.

Loyalkit woke with a start and stared into playful blue eyes. She let out a hiss and tried to knock Bravekit off of her back. He just dug in his claws stubbornly. Making Loyalkit let out a yelp of pain.

Their mother, Lakepelt, grabbed Bravekit by the scruff, dragging him off of Loyalkit. Then Lakepelt began to give Bravekit the same lecture she had always given him when he play fought a little too hard. The familiar smells of the nursery calmed Loyalkit and, like so many times before, she forgot her dream.

Loyalkit and Bravekit's siblings were still sleeping peacefully in their nest. Lovekit's nose was twitching and she moved restlessly in her sleep. Her ginger tail flicked back and forth over her nose.

Cleverkit was stretched out beside his sister. He was looked peaceful as he slept. And he made no movement except for his sides going in and out as he breathed. Cleverkit had always slept like a rock.

Loyalkit felt tired, and irritated. Her bad dreams never left her much rest. And the place where Bravekit had dug his claws into her on her back was stinging.

She looked to make sure that her mother was still giving her brother his lecture, and then she ducked into the clearing.

Blackflame, Loyalkit's father, was padding to the freshkill pile. Mockingleaf was talking to Stonestar. And Gailbelly was sharing tongues with Redthrout outside the warriors den. It was just another normal day in the Waterclan camp.

Loyalkit studied her father before she began to try to sneak up on him. She carefully put one paw in front of the other. She crouched down and pounced.

Blackflame whirled around and batted Loyalkit away playfully with his forepaws. She rolled for a few seconds before coming to a halt. She looked up, annoyed, at her father. He was having a hard time suppressing his amusement.

Loyalkit sat up and asked, "how did you know what I was doing?"

"You make a terrible racket," Blackflame told Loyalkit playfully.

"I do not," Loyalkit defended herself.

"Yes you do! Cats in the mountains could hear your noisy breathing," Blackflame continued to tease her.

Loyalkit looked offended as she responded, "well then how would you do it?"

"You breathe through your mouth. That way you don't make that whistling noise. And you have to be light on your paws," Blackflame instructed her.

"Can you show me?" Loyalkit asked.

Blackflame nodded and crouched down. His paws skimmed the ground as he stalked forward. He was totally silent. You couldn't even hear a breath.

Loyalkit watched in awe. Would she ever be that good? Loyalkit doubted it. Her father was one of the best warriors in the clan.

Loyalkit tried to mimic Blackflame, but he shook his head. He corrected her position and showed her again. They continued like this until Stonestar called Blackflame for the sunhigh patrol.

_I know it's short, but please review._


End file.
